A new report from the Burnet Institute, commissioned by the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) has found the number of people, including those in their 30s, diagnosed with alcohol-associated hepatitis has increased in recent years.

It found the rate of alcohol-associated hepatitis increased drastically in Victoria during the COVID-19 pandemic and had since remained elevated.

"The COVID lockdowns, which were particularly severe in Victoria, clearly contributed [to alcohol consumption]"...

"I suspect we would find similar effects across Australian states and territories."

"Between 2017 and 2024, around 40 per cent of admissions for alcohol-associated hepatitis occurred in people under the age of 45,"

While data suggested young people were now drinking less than previous generations... this was not the whole story.

"A smaller number of people are also drinking more, including binge drinking, resulting in harmful alcohol consumption and its adverse consequences,"

Women now account for about one in three cases of alcohol-associated hepatitis in Victoria...

The report found women with alcohol-associated hepatitis were younger, more physically frail and more likely to require an ICU admission than men.

"Women have a smaller body mass, particularly muscle mass, than men and so the amount of alcohol that can lead to harm within the body is lower,"